eggs and daddy's....please clarify

carinlynchin

Songster
10 Years
Feb 18, 2009
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Okay..i just read this on: http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:XEr3VpHOy2wJ:www.ansi.okstate.edu/poultrypage/poultry-FAQ.htm+how+egg+fertilization+occurs,+poultry&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a


&quot
; How do chickens reproduce?

Answer: Chickens reproduce in a manner similar to some other animals. The female produces an egg which if fertilized can result in a baby chick. The true egg, the part that develops into the embryo, is located on the egg yolk. The yolk begins to develop in the ovary and after 10-12 days of development, ovulation occurs. If the female has been mating with a male, sperm will be present and fertilization can occur. The male chicken does not have a penis and therefore there is no penetration of the female reproductive tract at the time of mating. Instead the female inverts the cloaca (site of the common junction of the reproductive and digestive systems) which comes in contact with the male’s inverted cloaca and receives the sperm. The cloaca is then drawn back into the hen’s body and the sperm are captured. They then begin the journey up the length of the reproductive system. The sperm live inside the female reproductive system and each time an ovulation occurs (every 24-26 hours in good egg producers) the egg can become fertile. This process continues and matings at 7 - 10 day intervals are necessary to maintain fertility. After fertilization occurs the egg albumen, shell membranes, and shell are added to complete the egg formation process. The chicken usually lays the egg about 24 hours after ovulation."

Sooooo...its only one daddy to a clutch of eggs right? How do you know when one daddy's sperm is dead and a different daddy's sperm begins (in the eggs)...in other words..for free ranging birds, is it possible that one nest contains eggs from different daddy's??

I want to start breeding and i was wondering if it is necessary to separate and why/....etc...
 
If more than one roo breeds the hen then different sperm can fertilize each egg. A hen can hold sperm for about 3 weeks, so if you want purebreds you'll have to separate them for 3 weeks before you can guarantee that.
 
Carinlynchin, that was a very informative and interesting read. I never knew how it actually worked between chickens. Thanks for the new knowledge.
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You're welcome! I am wanting to get into breeding sebastopol geese and I wanted one male and two females but I was always just wondering if I did have more males, how would I know which egg was from where and if i saw a white one breed...did that mean all eggs were from him? SO it kind of clarified but I need more timelines...like it says something about how many hours or days the sperm stays in...well just 'cause one sperm is in doesn't mean that the other male can't breed her too right? And at what point do the eggs become un fertile again?
 
Hens have special little tubes in the oviduct i think it is where the sperm can be stored. So if mated by three roosters, she could lay an egg from any one of the three. It takes about three weeks for the eggs to be unfertile. I think turkeys are about 4 weeks. However the fertility can drop off drastically after a week or so. I don't know how long it is for geese.
 

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